New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-11


narkfuIl Tba brilliant opening leads mp to as
brilliant n seouence and the comedy 10 piayou o"o
nm tha same high lines There is iittlo pa'nos o"'
70 bathos. OF RESPONSIVENESS there Is po'n"p'
some what moro than enough, ana nero as e'"o "e'
Oh. outbor does not mako sufficient allowance LOT
tic love of occasional dulness which Is natures
hi,d AGAINST excessive wit friction in most hious'
Rut The Egoist' is a remarkably clever DUN
I'D on upioue as 20 defy COMPARISON. Indeed. this
IA the case with all Mr. Merediths writings. no
can be compared with no other author for he
r.sambles none This is not merit for isolation
in this kind of literature infers pecuiarties differ
eotiatng the su beet from bis fellows to an extent
which must interfere with his capacity for express
ing common feel ngs in generally inteligioie terms
In sThe Egosi, )" however, this abnormaity zoos
not oosrate as a defect because the whole field Is
saturated with artfciality. and there is no neces
sty nor is there any room Tor the apr icaaon VI
those ordinary tests of consanguinity when reveal
the truly symr athletic nature. The life described
| is nou-natural. being concerned chieuy WIN tue
culture of those woes of civilization which hourlsh
most ran ky in the soil Of sycophantic dependence
| nnder the shados of an oss6ed aristocracy. In
the analysis of this artificial life Mr.. Meredith is
thoroughly at home. He is free to employ his dry
est intellectual light his sharpest scapel his most
| cynical humor. He may be writing above the
heads of the crowd but it not for the crowd ne Is
| writing and he is compelled to put no bride upon
his fancy to throw sops to the general public IN
| the shape of orthodox melodrama or sensational
ISM II is purely intellectual exercise, In FACT Ill
which he is engaged, and as such it must DO re-
| garded aud judged.
| q Rhoda Fleming" has been called one of the
| antbor,s hast novels We should class IL below the
average of his writings. But it is easily seen why
it should have ELECTED favorable comments. Inc
truth is that in 1T Mr. Meredith makes an effort TO
| putt himself on the general level. DC tres 10
describe life as most men view 1t, to magnify inc
passional and minimize the mental influences; ana
| in proportion as he does this he gains the approVa
OF all who prefer heartaction to OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
is to say the III ajorty But this line of creation
IL not natural to him. and no has TO grope his way
with results which TO his real admirers must be I'M
| satisfactory His defects, such they are, cannot
| bo eliminated apparently without deterioration TO
the general fabric of his genius, and while IL may
| be wished that elimination without deterioration
| were possible, those who love his Work VIII
| certainly choose rather to have him at his Desj,
| however Handicapped by faults. than toned down
! to u pervading inferorty for the sake OF closer
| likeness to the common run.
In all his novels though IN differing degrees,
there Is found depth of observation. soidity OF
judgment, shared by no other writer but George
Eliot She possessed, the special gift of her sex,
| a vivid sense of communion I'll her kind which
| in him seems deficient, and for this reason her
| pathos is at once more homey and more effective
than HIS and her perception of some OF the deeper
sufterings of the heart clearer aud truer 80 lar
| however as penetration and comprehension extend
there are few secrets beyond the reach OF Mr. Mere
dth and il his analyses are sometimes rather those
| of the philosopher than of the man vi the world,
their exceeding shrewdness compensates us for the
| distinction 1t is not. however, desirable that
no, elist should be so profound rs to puzzle his
readers Whether in poetry or in prose II is sound
rule that ucidity is test OF SKILL The fact that
an authors language fails to vey his meaning at
once is proof of obscurity AID obscurty can only
signify either an imperfect gift of expression or
bad manpersm. Now 1t is impossi bic to believe
| that the author of The Shaving of Shagpat'
| STAN mers in composition, and therefore it must be
concluded that his obscurties are due to manner.
| Whether he will ever think 10 worth whilo to
change or simplify this manner is another question:
but he would be no less a gamer than his readers
| should he do so.
| We lave just mentioned The Shaving OF Shag-
pat" but it is book which deserves closer exam
| nation. There is nothing which resembles it IN
| English literature Nomnsliy.it il an English ex-
| pertinent IN the line of the Arabian Nights tales.
In fact it SURPRISES the whole voldmincus collec-
| ton of the Thousand Mig hts and One Night IL is
q prodigy of imaginative creation. Its Orientaism
| is gorgeous, bewildering bnt never vulgar or
absurd Fancies the most bizarre, scenes the most
| fantastic, supernatural machinery the most marvel
| lous, are there battalions. Nothing Is too ex-
| travagant to be made use OF and every thing IL
| worked into the texture of the story with ncred-
| ible deftness. To the splendid imagery OF the
Orient moreover. the poet has impaired beauty
| grace and delcacy born in the Occident, and
| humor which Is all his So strange. so unique
a book q, " The Shaving OF Shagpat" it would be
hard to name, or one which more diverse ele
| menis are mixed with equal alroi:ness 1t Is iuil
of distinct stories and substories Of which several
are distinguished by their poetical beauty In
stance the - Story of Bhanavar the Beautiful
which is a perfect gem IN its kind. The drol sub
flavor of the whole wild lsOry, the apparent vibra-
ton OF the authors decision between burosque and
sober emulation the soaring flights of fan tasy en-
countered ON every page. the wonderful limitations
of the favorite Oriental couplets and stanzas scat
| tered 90 profusely, all combine to form work
| which defes description and analysis but is none
the less q production of genius. No one who de-
sire, to know what the Western imar!natious
capable of when working upon Oriental lines can
afford to remain unacquainted with this astonish-
ing volume
The works of George Meredith cannot be expected
| to attain what is called = vogue They are from
their character for the enjoyment and profit OF
limited circle. But as popular culture advances
there is ground for the belief that they will obtain
a steadily widening audience, and that those who
have once entered upon them will continue until
the whole has been mastered. TO such rs do know
and appreciate them they an Intellectual pleas
ure and possession of mean imp lance. The
philosophy they embody is n noble one. The views
taken OF life are elevatng. The insight into the
causes of human activities Is deep. II Is not.
indeed, tho insight of Balzac nor are the pages
vvifed by thar masters warmth Of touch. But
they are tho works OF writer who deserves to be
termed great, and there be no doubt that they
will survive, through the law of the ittest. most
OF the fiction which is in circulation at present